Three Cheers: To books and food worth the money

To Millbrook's Merritt Bookstore, which participated in World Book Night - an event with the goal of making books accessible to those who could not normally afford them or who would not normally choose to read. Scott and Alison Meyer, owners of Merritt Bookstore, mobilized community volunteers and on the anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth and death, April 23, and 440 books were given to adult and young adult readers in Dutchess County. Books were distributed to citizens in English as a Second Language classes, literacy programs, assisted-living facilities, group homes and outreach programs and a variety of social service programs. The publishing industry, the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, book distributors and UPS all contributed to keeping the books free for participants. "We wished we had more to give away! At the Baptist Home ? we were actually able to put them into people's hands," volunteer Molly Olson said.

To the Fareground Community Café, which served its first "pay what you can" meal last week at The Coffee Shoppe, a business on Beacon's Main Street. The pay-what-you-can system includes the option of volunteering in exchange for a meal. The café is modeled on One World Everybody Eats, a successful sustainable-eating establishment in Salt Lake City. With a small amount of contributions upfront, the model should be self-sustaining and able to continue on a monthly basis. About 130 people were served tacos, black beans, salsa, pulled pork, herbed rice and chocolate brownies last Sunday and the suggested donation was $10. The idea is sound: Share a delicious meal with your community and take away the stigma of a soup kitchen.

To Burger King - last week it became the first major U.S. fast-food chain to pledge that all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free chickens and eggs by 2017. In 2007, Burger King became the first major fast-food chain to incorporate animal welfare into its purchasing policies when it began sourcing at least some of its pork and eggs from cage-free suppliers. Conventionally raised eggs come from hens confined in "battery cages," which give them roughly the same space as a sheet of standard notebook paper. Most pork comes from sows confined during their four-month pregnancies in narrow crates. The hens would still be housed in a barn, but they have room to roam and perches and nesting boxes. Sows are also held indoors, but they would not be confined in the cramped crates while they are pregnant. Of course, studies have shown that shoppers are willing to pay more for products they believe are produced to higher animal protection standards - good deeds can be cost-effective.

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Three Cheers: To books and food worth the money

To Millbrook's Merritt Bookstore, which participated in World Book Night ? an event with the goal of making books accessible to those who could not normally afford them or who would not normally